Various wired and wireless networks have evolved to handle Push-To-Talk (PTT) communication sessions, including PTT over cellular that makes two-way radio service available to mobile communication devices over traditional cellular networks. PTT provides a quick one-to-one or one-to-many communication technique that is particularly useful for many applications. A PTT communication connection is typically initiated by pressing a button, activating an icon or some other means of activation on an originating wireless communication device that opens communications between the originator and each member device of the group. Existing PTT systems have advantages over traditional cellular systems because they have faster call setup times, e.g., setup times ideally in the range of 1 second, compared to cellular voice channels that can take more than 5 seconds to establish a connection.
In some arrangements, one PTT speaker at a time is given permission to speak. Such a permission is typically referred to as a “floor grant,” where no other group member of the PTT session can speak until the mobile device with the floor grant releases the floor. Once given a floor grant, the speaker's input is immediately routed to and output from the mobile devices of all other members of the group. So when communications start-up in a PTT group, rather than having to answer a call as with traditional telephone service, the recipients immediately hear the speaker who was granted the floor. Traditionally, to release the floor the speaker physically releases a PTT button, after which any other individual member of the group may engage his or her PTT button in order to request a floor grant (a “floor request”).
A form of PTT messaging may also include the exchange of video. As such messaging is not limited to “talk” it is referred to as “Push-to-Transmit” or “PTX.”PTX may allow one communication group member to make video images available to the entire group. Also, the expression “press-to-transmit” takes into account the fact that modern mobile communication devices often have touch-screen interfaces that only require a “press” of a finger, rather than a push. The video images may be stills or motion video and are similarly considered message segments. PTX communications may include audio or may be silent. Thus, PTX may be considered a more generic term for communications of this type that exchange at least one of audio, video and data messaging.
PTT communications, and more generally PTX communications, while useful, do suffer from user experience issues. For example, a PTX group member in a quiet environment, such as in a library or at a movie, may find the automatic output of a voice from his or her mobile device inappropriate. Also, other people around that PTX recipient may perceive the abrupt and relatively loud output to be rude. Another issue arises when the recipient is in a loud or noisy environment, in which case the recipient may miss calls or parts of a call because they cannot hear it over the ambient noise levels.